If it's anything like my old 98 LeSabre that car will soon become your favorite. No one looks at it twice, reliable, cheap insurance & fueling, QUIET, smooth on the highway.

My 98's front wheel bearings failed @ 80k, apparently a common problem. I was able to replace them in the driveway, the only special tool needed is a larger(T45? 50? 55?) torx bit. A made-in-USA hub unit(with internal ABS sensor) was around $85/side. Did the brakes at the same time because they were cheap.

Mine presented as a light grinding noise that I couldn't pinpoint, until it randomly self-destructed at 70mph. Coasted to the side and flatbed towed home.

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$60 OM617 Blank Exhaust Flanges
$110 OM606 Blank Exhaust Flanges
No merc at the moment

If the tires are newish and a bit of driving does not smooth over the vibration then it would be best to have the tires spin balanced and rotated by a quality shop.

I once had a vibration at 85, so I took it to a larger shop and they found that one of my front alloy wheels was no longer round. A new one was $2,100, so the tire guy suggested he put it on the back where it would not cause vibration.

The results, after a rebalance and tire rotation, was 110 with no vibration.

The secret to this is to have a good shop do the balancing, not a place that has a balance machine that they have to dig out from under stuff to use.

The cost was less than $40, and the search is on for a place to repair the wheel.

This may not solve your problem, but a good tire guy will look at more than your tires for a vibration problem and the money you spend for their advice will save you hours of looking and wondering time.

Experts cost a lot, but that is because they are worth it.

A cracked steel wheel will also cause a vibration at speed.

Chrome wheels are ILLEGAL in Germany.

Guess why.

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

Europeans have better taste?

We had a 1989 grand prix back in the olden days. It was about the same drivetrain as your century. Good, comfortable, economical car but I replaced a bunch of parts on it while we had it. Parts were cheap and it was pretty easy to work on.

Change the fluid and filter in the transmission, flush the cooler. Do this soon, very soon.

Brake disks were a little different and didn't turn on a lathe well, better to buy new.

Ignition pickup, crank sensor on back of motor by firewall, no spark.

Fuel injectors lost resistance and shut down computer.

Fuel pressure regulator, memory not clear, maybe surging and cruise control not holding speed.

MAP sensor, over rich blubbering.

Thermostat gasket went out a couple times. Goofy rubber thing.

Heater core, what a *****, behind sheetmetal on firewall. Wouldn't want to do that again.

I had the upper intake manifold off for something, don't remember why.

GM CS alternator is typical US overrated alternator. Don't make it charge a low battery, use a battery charger. Heat kills alternators.

Biggest problem was an uninsured motorist who turned left across lines of traffic, in front of me. End of interest in car, donated to charity.

How would I find a good shop? Was that $40 for everything done at the shop? What on earth do you drive that a new rim is $2100?

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"Senior Luna, your sense of humor is still loco... but we love it, anyway." -rickymay ____ "Your sense of humor is still loco... " -MBeige ____ "Señor Luna, your sense of humor is quite järjetön" -Delibes

1982 300SD -- 211k, Texas car, tranny issues ____ 1979 240D 4-speed 234k -- turbo and tuned IP, third world taxi hot rod

2 Samuel 12:13: "David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die."

Just look for a larger shop with good equipment. You might do some internet research on the shops in your area.

Tire balance was $10 per tire. Since they had to remove all the tires they rotated them for free.

The car in question is my wife's Pontiac G8. Very low production numbers with factory top of the line alloys means there are not many of them in the wrecking yards. I did find a place about 400 miles from me that can restore the wheel, and since it is an area I visit now and then I am going to drop it off for repair soon. They say they can do anything for around $200 or so, and they have seen some G8 wheels in the past.

My wife was constantly tearing up her cars by lead-footing them, so I got her one that can take it. Her best 0-60 is right at 4.5 seconds.

That's exactly why I like the car, though I have to admit that when I hit a bump on the highway at ~80 MPH, it surprised me with OOMphaoomPHAOOOMphaoomPHA rocking .

What is it like when a wheel bearing self-destructs?

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"Senior Luna, your sense of humor is still loco... but we love it, anyway." -rickymay ____ "Your sense of humor is still loco... " -MBeige ____ "Señor Luna, your sense of humor is quite järjetön" -Delibes

1982 300SD -- 211k, Texas car, tranny issues ____ 1979 240D 4-speed 234k -- turbo and tuned IP, third world taxi hot rod

2 Samuel 12:13: "David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die."

Does saying that I love the interior design in this car put me in some sort of minority?

__________________
"Senior Luna, your sense of humor is still loco... but we love it, anyway." -rickymay ____ "Your sense of humor is still loco... " -MBeige ____ "Señor Luna, your sense of humor is quite järjetön" -Delibes

1982 300SD -- 211k, Texas car, tranny issues ____ 1979 240D 4-speed 234k -- turbo and tuned IP, third world taxi hot rod

2 Samuel 12:13: "David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die."

Not really. It just means you share something with people on Social Security.

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Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 401,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 26,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.
99 Mazda Miata 183,xxx miles.

"Mr. Bond, your RENTAL car is here."

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)